


5 Times Peter Fell Into A Body Of Water

by impravidus, LilacsAndLilies, Shaderose, TakenByEmrys



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Action, BAMF Peter Parker, Banter, Beaches, Bisexual Peter Parker, Carnival, Drowning, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Gay Harley Keener, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, Harley Keener as Iron Lad, Humor, Hurt Harley Keener, Light Angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Harley Keener, Protective Peter Parker, Surfing, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:52:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23991841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impravidus/pseuds/impravidus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacsAndLilies/pseuds/LilacsAndLilies, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaderose/pseuds/Shaderose, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakenByEmrys/pseuds/TakenByEmrys
Summary: and the 1 time he pulled someone out
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 33
Kudos: 305





	1. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by impravidus

Peter tugged at the shiny red tie choking him uncomfortably. Tony was the one who helped him tie his tie, but he was fiddling too much with the soft fabric that he ended up pulling it too tight. 

“You doin’ alright there, darlin’?” 

Peter looked up. He chuckled awkwardly. “I’m in a losing fight with this tie at the moment. I was never one for formal wear.”

The mysterious blonde gave a swoon worthy grin. “Here. Let me help you with that.” 

Peter felt a shiver of heat rush through his body as the taller teen’s hands brushed against his neck. 

“You must Peter, right?”

Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You’ve heard of me?”

“Tony doesn’t shut his trap about you! Always sayin’ how we oughta meet. That when we  _ do  _ meet, we’d most likely cause stars to explode or the cosmos to implode into a black hole from how much trouble we’d get ourselves into.”

Peter let out a bubbly laugh. “Well, I guess we better get started.” 

He held out his hand. “Harley Keener.”

Peter gave it a firm shake. “Peter Parker.” His eyes went wide. “But you already knew that! Because that’s how this conversation started. Because you said that already.” His cheeks flushed. 

Harley looked down at the hand that Peter still held. “You’ve got a hell of a grip, Peter Parker.”

Peter retracted back quickly, face burning from embarrassment. “I-I uh, Mr. Stark has mentioned you too.”

“All good things I hope.”

Peter nodded. “Great things. You’ve got a pretty impressive resume.”

“Is that the only impressive thing I’ve got?” Harley asked, eyebrow cocked teasingly.

Peter could feel his breath on his face as his eyes flickered to his lips. “We should probably head out. Gotta do our duties.” Peter held up his basket of flower petals.

“I think they may need these.” Harley motioned to the pillow with rings.

“Just a little,” Peter said, his smile bright.

As they walked, Peter swung his basket back and forth mindlessly. Harley watched him with an admirative gaze. 

“Why weren’t you at the rehearsal?” Harley asked.

The memory of the giant pigeon showdown in Times Square flashed in Peter’s mind. “Something came up.”

“Well, I hope you can manage without the practice. Tossing those flowers is an art.” Harley waved his hand overdramatically, doing twirls and leaps.

“Maybe we should switch jobs. You seem to be a master at mine.”

Harley shook his head. “I think you’re doing just fine.”

Peter groaned. “I almost forgot.” He pulled out a crown of red begonias from his basket, placing it carefully on his gelled curls. “Mr. Stark insisted I wear this.”

“Red’s a good color on you,” Harley said.

Peter looked down bashfully. “Thank you.”

The two joined the bridesmaids and groomsmen at the front of the line. 

As the music began, Harley gave a charismatic, toothy smile to Peter. “Guess it’s time.”

It was a beautiful ceremony. Something straight out of a movie. With Tony’s ostentatious extravagance, the outdoor wedding, with string lights hung throughout the branches of the giant willow trees and chairs with matching cushions and waterfall trickling gently into the koi pond was a hit amongst the surprisingly small group of guests. 

As the ceremony came to a close and the reception began, Pepper entered in a white jumpsuit, bedazzled in crystals and Tony in a sparkling suit. The best crowd pleasing hits blasted on the high quality speakers and the adults were reconnecting and chatting as they sipped on their expensive drinks.

Peter felt a tap on his shoulder.

“I brought you something.”

He turned around, face lighting up as he saw Harley. “Hope it’s nothing alcoholic. Tony would kill me.”

Harley shook his head. “Shirley temple. I figured you were the shirley temple kind of guy.”

“Well, you are absolutely correct. Thank you.” He closed his eyes and hummed as the sugary, sparkling drink hit his tongue. 

“Where are you thinking for uni?” Harley asked.

“Mr. Stark wants me to go to MIT, but I’ve got my heart set on NYU,” Peter responded.

“I see I’m not the one he’s pressuring into MIT. It looks like a good school, though. Not sure if it’s right for me, though.” 

“You’ve got time,” Peter said. “Just apply to everywhere you can, and then figure it out when you hear back.”

Harley gave a lopsided frown. “The future is pretty daunting. I’m still not sure what I want to do.”

Peter gave a tentative smile. “Well, how about we forget about the future for a little while and only focus on the now? Let’s dance.”

“Oh, I don’t really…”

Peter set his drink down, walking backwards and doing a terrible rendition of the “Single Ladies” choreography. “C’mon! Live in the present! Have some fun! YOLO!”

“No one says YOLO anymore.”

“I do! Now come on!” He grabbed his hand, a jolt of a spark rushing through his veins. “C’mon,” he said softer.

Harley blew out a shot of air from his nose as he shook his head. “Alright. Fine. Let’s dance!”

Peter Parker could not dance, and Harley, though he didn’t like to dance, did dance better than Peter. Peter Parker was nimble and flexible and had a stamina that Harley could not fathom, but he didn’t confine himself to the boring, basic dance steps. They jumped and twisted and turned until their ribs ached and Cotton Eyed Joed until their legs were sore. They got lost in the night and got lost in the company of the other.

As they took another drink break, Peter sipped happily at his fourth shirley temple and munched on the applewood bacon wrapped mini hotdogs, and Harley watched Peter with a lovestruck grin as he gulped down his lukewarm water.

“So, Peter, I was wondering…”

_ “This is somethin' new. The Casper Slide part 2…” _

“Oh my God! It’s the Cha Cha Slide. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, we’ve gotta go do it!” Peter dragged Harley to the dance floor, settling on the far edge of the crowd.

Peter bobbed his head to the beat as he followed the steps meticulously.

“So, Peter!” Harley called out loudly.

“Yeah?” Peter replied, taking it back now y’all.

“One of my top schools is Columbia, and if I get in, I’ll be in New York, so I was wondering, well, if I get in, would you want to get together some time?”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“Like, would you like to go out sometime? On a date.” Peter went to the right, to the right, to the right a little  _ too  _ to the right, and right into the pond, sounding with a loud splash.

All the adults gasped, rushing over to the pond.

Red from humiliation, Peter covered his face. That was, until he heard another splash.

Harley smirked playfully at the brown haired boy, their Tom Ford suits soaked from the pond water, legs being tickled by the koi. Harley took his hand and swiped the water, sending a wave straight to Peter’s face.

“Oh. Is that how it’s gonna be?” Peter sent an even stronger wave towards Harley.

The adults gave an eye roll and dismissive chuckle before heading back to their party.

After their splash fight was over, the two swam to each other, the soft, dim light of the stars and the string lights illuminating their glistening skin.

Harley placed a hand to Peter’s cheek. “May I?” he muttered low and soft.

Peter nodded, speechless. 

Harley connected his lips with Peter gently, the salty water lingering on his lips and the sweet taste of cherry syrup. Peter smiled into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Harley’s neck. 

As Harley pulled away, he rested his forehead to Peter’s. “So, that date?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [official-impravidus](https://official-impravidus.tumblr.com/)


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by LilacsAndLilies

Peter looked out at the ocean, amazed at how far he could see. The waves were gently lapping on the shore, but further out, he could see large swells. The skies were clear and Peter couldn’t help but feel like this was the perfect summer day.

The summer was starting to wind up and both Peter and Harley were getting ready to go to college in the next few weeks. Tony had determined to take them on an amazing vacation to celebrate before they started school. His plans had ended up with all of them on this beautiful private beach. 

“Hey darlin’, are you ready?” Peter turned around to see his boyfriend coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around Peter, pressing a kiss on Peter’s cheek..

Peter smiled. “Of course. I’m going to be so good at this whole surfing thing.” Tony apparently had a lot of experience surfing, and had volunteered to teach Harley and Peter. 

“We’ll see about that.” Harley smirked. “C’mon. Mechanic says he’s ready to start now. Race you to him.”

Harley took off running across the beach. “Hey! No fair!” Peter took off after him, both of them laughing. 

Finally, they reached Tony. The man was standing in front of them, his hands were crossed over his chest. There were three surfboards lying on the ground in front of him. “If both of you are done fooling around, we can start now.” A smile threatened to cover his face, revealing his real feelings behind the mock disappointed expression. 

Peter and Harley stopped and looked up at Tony, who continued speaking. “Ok, so first we’re going to practice on land.” Tony proceeded to walk them through the steps before finally declaring them ready to go into the water. 

The three of them walked out to the shore and Peter turned to Harley. “Are you ready?”

“Ready to watch you fail.” Harley teased, hip checking Peter.

“Hey! I’m definitely going to do better than you.”

“If both of you are done debating, let’s figure out who actually does better.” Tony called out from where he had already begun paddling out to a wave. Peter and Harley gave one last look to each other before joining Tony in paddling out to a wave. 

Peter was facing the shore, watching the fast approaching wave. He could tell it was going to be a tall wave. Tony was yelling from behind him that it was too big to start out with, but Peter just thought about the bet he and Harley had settled earlier and began swimming towards the waves. He slowly got up, planting his feet firmly on the board and trying to make sure he stuck to it. He looked down at the wave below him. “Look at me! I’m surfing!” Peter turned, trying to find Harley, when he made his mistake. The board dipped under the water, turning to the side and knocking Peter over.

“Jump off of the board!” Peter heard his father figure yell at him. He tried, but his previous attempts to stay stuck to the board seemed to now be working against him, keeping him firmly planted. The wave crashed over him and he fell into the ocean. His board turned over and Peter felt himself struggling to reach out above the water, his feet stuck on the side of the board facing down. The water continued to come at him and he felt like he couldn’t breath.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard some shouting. Peter tried to hold his breath and slowly pull away from the board. Eventually he pulled himself free, but the board still pushed against him. He still couldn’t make his way out from under the force of the water. 

Slowly, he felt the water let up, but he was too tired to push through the tail end of the wave. He felt someone grab onto him and pull him up onto a board. “Peter!” He slowly tried to open his eyes, wiping the salt water out of them. His eyes burned, and he was sore all over. He felt someone paddling the board back to shore and setting him down in the sand. The sun was beating on his, a pleasant change from the oppressively cool waters he had been trapped under.

Eventually he opened his eyes, blinking a few times to try to get the salt and the sun out of them. “Harley?” he croaked, before turning and coughing out the water that got inside his throat. 

“Hey darlin’. Are you okay?”

Peter looked up to see Tony running towards them from further away. “Yeah, just sore. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

“Peter! I told you not to go for the larger one. Are you okay?” Peter could hear the concern in Tony’s voice. 

“I’m fine, I promise. I just need a moment.” Peter slowly pulled himself up to see bruises where the board had hit him. He tried to take a deep breath but his lungs refused. 

“You and I both know you have bruises and got hurt by that wave. I’ll go get a first aid kit.” Tony scolded Peter before jogging back to where they had set up their stuff.

“We were really worried about you, you know?” Peter turned to look at Harley. “Your board trapped you underwater and I couldn’t see you. I practically flung myself at where your board turned up as soon as the wave started to die down.”

“My hero.” The ends of Peter’s lips turned up in a weak smile. 

“I would rather leave the hero-ing to you.” Harley gave him an unimpressed look. 

“Mmh, I think you would do a good job.” Peter shifted around to sit in a more comfortable position. He could breathe a little easier now, and everything felt like it hurt a little less.

“Nah, I think Spider-Man needs to stay on the streets a little longer.” Harley smiled and gave a sigh of relief.

Peter watched as Harley unsuccessfully tried to hide his concern as he swept his eyes over Peter’s skin. “I can see you checking me over.”

“I’m always checking you out.” Harley smirked. “Consequences of being so hot.”

Peter blushed. “Speaking of, does this mean I won that bet?” 

Harley’s eyes grew wide. “All this happened and you’re still worried about that stupid bet? If I’d known this was gonna happen, I never would have made it.” 

Peter hummed. “But you did. And I want my payment.”

Harley gave a mock sigh. “Of course my liege.” He pulled Peter into a deep kiss. Peter was still sore, but he didn’t quite care as Harley pulled him closer.

“If both of you are done, I have the med kit.” They turned to see an annoyed Tony standing in front of them, med kit in hand. “Though considering you’re strong enough to do that, maybe I’ll meet you inside.” He turned around and started walking back to the beach house.

Peter giggled as Harley leaned in. “You’ll get the rest of your payment later.” The blond stood up, before putting his hand out to pull Peter up as well, both of them walking up to the house as the sun set behind them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on tumblr @lilacsandlilies4  
> or on discord @LilacsAndLilies#4691


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by Shaderose

"Shit!" Harley smacked against the brick wall with a loud  _ bang,  _ his suit clanging as he dropped to the ground. He groaned loudly, his entire body aching, but he didn’t have time to dwell on the pain, standing back up just as his radar starts to beep at him, telling him to move,  _ move, move!  _ He jumped out of the way just as another blast hit where he just stood, the bricks now charred and smoking. 

"You okay?!" Peter's staticy voice rang out in his ear as he dodged another blast, his repulsors shooting him into the sky as quick as a bullet. 

"I'm good!" He huffed, glaring at the man who was attacking them, his hands alight with something similar to fire, eyes burning as bright as the sun. Luckily, his suit blocked out most of the heat, as well as making sure the other man couldn’t see his grimace, the aches still tugging at his muscles, his bones groaning in protest of every movement. He dodged another blast, circling around the fire, gritting his teeth. "At least, I would be, if he would stop  _ shooting at me."  _

It was Harley's first mission out in his brand new suit, Iron Lad Mark I, and he was (sadly) getting his ass kicked. He was still new to everything, even after having practiced for weeks before this day, so he was clumsy, and fumbling more than he should, his limbs feeling heavy with the metal encasing him and making him slow, allowing the man to get in hit after hit. But thankfully, Tony had been stern enough to make Peter go with him and even though Harley had bitched and moaned and complained, he was very  _ very  _ thankful for it now, as Peter (or, Spider-Man in this case) came out of seemingly nowhere and jumped over the man's head, webbing his arms and legs together, wrapping him in a web cocoon.

This was their plan, the one they had created on the spot when the battle first began. Web the guy up, and dump him into the lake. " _ He can't use fire when he's in water, right?" _ Peter had said, and Harley couldn't find a hole in his logic, so they went with it. However, they had forgotten that fire could  _ burn through spider webs _ , so it had taken them a few tries to get to this point. This was the first time they got him fully encased, near the edge of the building at that, and Harley was not about to let this opportunity go to waste. 

He shot down, putting his suit on full throttle before he put his arms forward and shot the repulsors, just strong enough to push the man off of the building (and to hurt him  _ just a little bit _ in spite). 

Something Harley didn't take into account, however, was Peter. He had assumed that Peter would get out of the way, go onto the top of the building and wait for him to finish the job or whatever. But apparently, Peter had assumed that  _ he  _ was gonna push the man off as well as webbing him up. Meaning, Peter hadn't moved. Meaning, he was in range of Harley's blasts. 

Meaning, when the villain guy (his name was Blaze or something stupid like that) got sent flying off of the building and into the body of water, so did Peter fricken Parker, who let out a sharp yell that got cut off as his body crashed into the water, a big splash following in his wake.

Goddamn it.

"Pe- Spider-Man!" He almost slipped up, almost revealing Peter's identity in his fear, feeling the ice cold emotion trickle down his back, as if he was the one that got thrown into the freezing cold water. He flew down until he was just above the water, where he hovers anxiously, waiting with bated breath and watching with wide eyes for a splash, a bubble, something,  _ anything  _ to show that Peter was okay, that he was coming back up, that he was  _ alive. _ Harley takes a deep breath, counting down the seconds until he dives in after him,  _ 5, 4, 3, 2-  _ until finally,  _ finally,  _ Peter returns to the surface with a quiet splash and a giant gasp. 

"Oh thank god!" Harley murmured under his breath, before hovering in even closer, calling out, "Spidey! You alright?!?"

The boy pulled his now waterlogged mask up to the bridge of his nose, coughing out the bitter salt water before throwing up a thumbs up with his free hand. Wait, what is- "Yeah, I'm good!" Peter interrupted his thought, his voice rough, almost a croak as he swam towards the shore, pulling- pulling  _ something  _ along with him. When he pulled himself up onto the ledge, and Harley landed beside them to check him over, Harley finally realized that the still struggling mass Peter dragged with him was the man they had been fighting all night, his face scrunched up in a scowl but his eyes were full of relief and slight fear. "He couldn't swim like this," Peter panted as an explanation, waving to the man's webbing up state before grinning up at Harley sheepishly, apologetically. "I had to save him."

Harley rolled his eyes inside his mask, but nodded outwardly, a soft smile growing on his face. Of course Peter would go back and save the man thing to kill them all night. It's like it's in his nature, to be good, to be kind, empathetic to everyone. To help, even at the cost of his own safety. It was one of the things Harley loved so very much about him. It didn’t make it less nerve wracking though, and the slight shake of Harley's hands and his stammering heart are there to prove it. He wished he could step out of this suit, check Peter over throughout and press kisses to every inch of his body to make sure he was truly,  _ truly  _ alright. But he couldn’t. Not right now, anyways.

For now, he told FRIDAY to call the cops, who reassured him that they're already on the way, and watched Blaze, ensuring that the villain didn't go anywhere, standing as close to Peter's side as he possibly could, hopefully being as reassuring as possible as Peter continued to gulp in air.

_ Later _ , he promises himself internally, holding himself back as the sirens start to sound in the distance.  _ Later _ .


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by Shaderose
> 
> Warning: NSFW

Harley gently pushed the door to their ensuite shut with his free hand, his other arm still wrapped around Peter's shivering shoulders.

It was a few hours after the fight, and Peter had only gotten worse and worse the longer he was out of the water, his minute shaking turning into full on tremors, his teeth chattering and his skin frigid to the touch, his lips a slight tinge of blue. Peter kept reassuring through stuttered words that he was fine, but Harley didn't believe it for a second, and had vowed to himself to ensure that his boyfriend was honestly, truly, fully and completely okay. So, against Peter's will, he had dragged into the boy into his room, Peter's struggles growing less and less strong until they got into the large, white bathroom, where he slumped against the marble counter of the vanity and gave in to Harley's murmurs of reassurances, allowing him to take care of him, to give him the love he needs.

And oh, will Harley give it to him. 

While Peter is leaning against the sink, shutters still running through his body like earthquakes and aftershocks, Harley gently coaxed his dirty, waterlogged suit off of his body, pressing on the spider symbol on the front and easing the spandex off, over his shoulders and arms, around his torso and waist, and down his thighs and calves, kissing each part of his body softly, carefully until Peter could step out of it with a slight wobble, his breathing a little heavier over his coughing. 

Harley then let Peter sit on the toilet cover as he sauntered over to the shower, starting up the water and turning the handle to the warm side. He ran his hands under the stream, and turned the handle bit by bit until the water was the way he wanted it to be, hot but not boiling, before he took a step back and shed himself of his own clothes, pulling the thin shirt over his head and pulling down his sweatpants quickly.

Once bare, he moved back over to the brunette who was watching him with heated, slightly glossed over eyes, and wrapped an arm around his waist again, helping him stand and shuffling them into the stall, the steam starting to fog up the glass doors that he shuts as soon as they enter.

He pulled the smaller, leaner boy underneath the gentle stream, more of a light rain than a thunderstorm, and held him against his chest, their nude bodies brushing and causing a shiver of a different sort to run through both of their bodies, Peter's head leaning into the crook of Harleys neck, his breaths puffing against his collarbone. Harley pressed a kiss to Peter's temple as he stretched his arm out, pumping some soap into his hand, before rubbing his hands together and starting to run them up and down his boyfriends body, feeling each muscle and bone shifting and twisting as he breathed and twitched, taking the time to clean while also feeling for bruises and aches, thankfully finding none. Peter shifted again and let out an airy moan, before he was pressing open mouthed kisses to the column of Harley’s neck, starting at his collarbone and moving up up up, biting, licking and sucking as his Adam's apple, pressing his body forward with purpose. Harley’s breath stuttered at the feeling, and he tried to focus on cleaning, but Peter was persistent with his kisses, nipping and licking at what he knew was a sensitive spot on Harleys neck, and before he knew it, he was giving in, vowing to clean him  _ after _ they get dirty. 

He ran his hands more purposefully over Peter's body now, a firmer press as Peter's kisses went higher and higher, from under his chin, to his cheek, until his mouth was pressed against his, a warm tongue coaxing his lips apart with ease and dancing around his own, teasing, playful. Harley allowed himself to groan his time, his hands grabbing onto Peter's firm ass and squeezing, making Peter whimper and jerk his hips forward. Harley could feel a certain something pressing against his abdomen, knew that Peter felt the same, could feel the heat pooling in his stomach, the warmth of the water against his back egging it on as he grinded their hips together and sucked on Peter's tongue, the two of them moaning in unison at the overwhelming pleasure the action causes. It was a fire, the heat, and it was being fanned, growing and growing as they continued to rub against each other, whimpers and groans and heavy breathing filling the air, and Harley could live in this moment forever,  _ wanted  _ to live here forever. He pulled Peter closer, and the boy took a step forward, wanting,  _ needing  _ to be as close as physically possible, and it's so good, so so  _ good- _

Suddenly, Peter was out of his grip, slipping in between his legs and collapsing with a bang onto the cold, hard tiles of the shower. Harley jumped and yelped, gasping, eyes wide as he stared down at the man now laying on the floor of the stall, groaning in pain. "Are- are you okay?" He felt laughter bubbling in his chest, causing his lips to twitch, but he tried to force it down, tried not to let it show until he knew Peter was okay. 

He apparently failed, because the next thing he knew, he was getting a handful of soap to the chest, mostly bubbles and suds now, and a growled " _ Asshole _ ." directed at him. But the words were light with teasing, Peter's eyes sparkling with mirth and a wide cheeky grin on his face, so Harley knew he didn’t mean it, knew that he's  _ okay _ , and allowed himself to finally bark into laughter, curling over as he wheezes out breaths, grabbing the bubbles still left on his chest and throwing them back at the smaller man, who flinched out of the way as if it were molten lava, snickering out a laugh of his own. There's another splat of soap, this time hitting Harley in the side of the head, and Peter's chuckles stop, his bambi eyes widening in faux fear as the blonds turns his head slowly, staring at him with a blank expression before murmuring, low and quiet, "Oh, it is  _ on. _ "

The rest of the night was spent full of bubbles and laughter, the bubble fight happening for a good half an hour before they decided to finally get clean, dirty, and then clean  _ again.  _ And at the end of the night, Harley tucked them both into bed, the brunette curled into his side, sound asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, warm, comfortable,  _ safe _ . Harley stared at his relaxed figure, at his deep breathing and smoothed out face for a few seconds, before he followed suit, closing his eyes and pulling his love closer, satisfaction blooming in his chest.


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by TakenByEmrys

Peter was gonna kill Tony. When he said he would help out with the PR fundraiser, Peter assumed his job would be helping with cleanup, or something fun like face painting. He was less than thrilled to find out he was the guinea pig for the dunk tank. So far, no one had managed to dunk him, but the day was still young. He was sitting on the platform, toes just grazing the water with the bright red target on his left.

“Hey Pete,” Steve called. Steve and Natasha had wandered over to the booth. Peter glared at them and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Oh come on Peter,” Natasha grinned. “Aren’t you happy to see us?” 

“Not even a little bit. I would like to stay dry thank you very much.” Peter tensed as Steve picked up one of the balls in the big crate next to the tank.

“What’s the fun in that?” Steve asked. He reached back and threw the ball. With however many years of frisbee throwing, you would expect Steve to have stellar aim, so it came to everyone’s surprise as the ball barely missed the target. Natasha raised an eyebrow at Peter, who tried his best to look as innocent as possible. Steve picked up another ball and wound up again. The ball veered slightly to the left just as it was about to hit the target. Steve’s eyebrows furrowed. Natasha couldn’t keep in her laugh. Steve rounded on her, a question on his lips but he froze. He turned back to Peter with a glare.

“I hope you haven’t been cheating this entire time.” Steve said sternly. 

“Oh of course not Mr.America,” Peter said with a completely straight face. “There’s no point cheating with eight your olds. I just assumed you would want more of a challenge Mr.America, sir.” Natasha snorted again. Steve bit the inside of his cheek and huffed.

“Why don’t you try Natasha? See if you can dunk the punk.” Steve handed her one of the balls. Natasha took the ball and rolled her shoulder. Peter smirked as she lobbed the ball toward the target. This time Steve watched as Peter lifted his left shoulder just enough to shoot a piece of web at the ball. Well, Steve assumed it was a web since he couldn’t see it. Natasha took a deep breath as her ball missed the mark. She glared at Peter, who shrugged.

“Sorry Nat, I guess you just didn’t aim well enough.” Peter said. Natasha glared at him.

“Hey don’t kill the intern Natasha.” Tony called out. Peter looked over with a grin as Tony and Harley sauntered over to the tank. Peter’s grin immediately soured as he noticed that Harley’s face was painted. The smart one in this relationship has opted not to help out. As Harley got nearer, Peter blushed as he saw that his face was painted like Spider-Man’s mask. 

“Hey there darlin’.” Harley greeted. “How’s the water?” Peter stuck his tongue out at him.

“Cold, and something I do not want to experience.” He said. Tony pouted.

“Awe come on Petey Pie. That’s not the fundraiser spirit.” Tony picked up one of the balls and grinned. “Let’s see if we can wash away that frown.” Peter barely bothered to hide the shooter as Tony threw the ball. Tony scowled as the ball missed the target. Harley cackled and clapped his hands together.

“What’s wrong Mr.Stark? I didn’t think that you’d miss a target so close.” Peter said. He and Harley shared a grin as Tony scowled. 

“Now listen here pip squeak,” Tony started.

“Hey now, you can’t kill the intern, Tony.” Steve interrupted. Natasha and Harley laughed as Tony rounded on them.

“Come on Tony, you can’t tell me that hitting that little target is hard. I mean come on you’re like 8 feet away.” Harley gestured to the target. Peter wiggled his eyebrows at his boyfriend as Tony grabbed another ball. Peter bit his lip to keep from laughing as Tony wound up the pitch. Harley laughed out loud as the ball veered away again.

“God dammit Peter!” Tony cried. “How the hell are you doing it without us seeing?” 

“Oh no Mr.Stark, do you need bifocals already?” Peter frowned and placed his left hand on his heart. Harley snickered as Peter’s lip wobbled. Tony glared at him. Natasha and Steve were openly laughing at Tony’s conflicted expression. 

“Why don’t you try just one more time Mr.Stark. Maybe you’ll get it this time.” Peter encouraged him. Once more Tony grabbed a ball and threw it at the target. Harley openly laughed as the ball missed again. Tony glared at Harley.

“You know what, why don’t you try Keener.” Tony slammed a ball in Harley’s hand. Harley tossed the ball back and forth in his hands. He gave Peter his best grin.

“Well darlin’ I know you said you didn’t want to go for a swim, but I really need to prove my aim is better than Natsha’s, Steve’s,  _ and _ Tony’s. No hard feelings alright?” Harley gave Peter his best best smile, hoping to disarm his boyfriend. He grinned as Peter blushed. Harley pulled his arm back and aimed. He let the ball go, aiming for just right of the target. Peter lifted his arm and shot the web at the ball. 

As the ball made contact with the target, Peter’s jaw dropped in surprise. He barely had a second before he was plunging into the cold water. Harley threw up his arms and hollered as his boyfriend hit the water. Natasha and Steve both cackled as Peter broke the surface. Tony put his arm around Harley’s shoulder. Peter pulled himself up onto the platform.

“Well, now that you’ve gone in, that means it’s time for your shift change!” Tony announced gleefully.

“Wait! Are you telling me that I would have been done if I had gone in sooner?” Peter gaped at Tony. Harley walked over and helped Peter down from the tank. Peter was absolutely drenched. He glared at Tony. Natasha and Steve both took a step back as Peter started walking toward them. Steve gestured his head toward the festivities. Natasha nodded and slowly followed him away from the wet spider.

“Oh definitely, but I wasn’t going to tell you that.” Tony grinned. Harley shook his head and grinned. 

“That’s okay Mr.Stark. You know, let's have a hug. It’s been a minute since we hugged and you know I’m a hugger.” Peter took another step forward.

“Now, now.” Tony lifted his arm. “No need to do that Peter.” Tony turned and started running as Peter launched himself forward. Peter stopped and watched as Tony sprinted across the field. Harley grasped his hand and started pulling Peter toward the tents. 

“Come on darlin’. Let’s get you some dry clothes.” Harley pressed a kiss to Peter’s cheek as they walked away hand in hand.


	6. +1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by impravidus

Peter was running on empty already. With his day job wearing him thin and his patrols running longer and longer as the crime rate spiked, he was nearly ready to drop. 

It was supposed to be a quiet night. A night where he stopped fights outside bars and protected women bouncing between clubs from handsy guys. And that’s all it was. It was the kind of night that he could run on autopilot and do his thing and then collapse into the comfort of his fluffy mattress under his thousand thread count sheets and gentle arms of his wonderful husband.

It was supposed to be easy.

But then he was thrown into the deep end without a second to catch his breath. (A metaphor that would soon turn to be too close for comfort.)

He was perched atop a roof, overlooking the amber lights of the city, when Karen notified him of an accident on the Washington Bridge. Taking a long sigh, he swung as fast as he could to the bridge, nerves growing more and more heightened as he approached and was getting the updated status.

Cars were piled atop each other, doors crushed like aluminum foil, glass littering the pavement, and people with blood soaked clothes stumbling out of the wreckage. 

“An accident?” Peter asked aloud. “This isn’t just an accident. This is…” He scanned the area and heard a hysterical sob behind a very familiar car toppled upside down and an even more familiar blonde gripping to the railing of the Washington Bridge, almost completely blocked by the red Mustang. 

Legs wobbly beneath him, he sprinted to the car, a gutteral “Harley!” ripped from his throat.

Harley looked up, hands shaky. “Spider-Man! Please I…”

“I’m gonna get you. Don’t worry,” Peter reassured. He approached the car and pulled it out of the way with ease, but the shock of the move was too much of a startle, and Harley’s weak grip loosened, sending him plummeting towards the water below.

Peter, knowing fully well what happened when he tried to web a falling person (a lesson he never wanted to relearn), he dove over the side, following after him.

There was a faint splash seconds before he hit the water. 

“Karen. Swim goggles activate,” Peter commanded, chest tight. The dark water brightening up. “Karen. Scan for heat signatures.”

_ “One heat signature detected.” _

Peter took a deep breath and plunged into the water, following the light that Karen was displaying. He didn’t know how long he was in the water, trapped in the confines of its rough, rushing waves. All he knew was that he had been under for too long and he hadn’t found him yet. 

Finally, he caught sight of a familiar red flannel. Sighing in relief (not really sighing, he  _ was  _ underwater) he pulled the taller man into his arms and paddled to the surface, gasping for air as he broke free of the water.

“It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay,” Peter muttered, running a gloved hand over Harley’s cheek.

He shot a long distance grappling web to the bridge and silently prayed that the pale, blue-lipped man in his arms would be fine.

His heartbeat was faint, but it was there.

It was fading, but it was there.

After a grueling minute, he was finally back on the bridge, laying him down on the (glass-free) ground. 

“H-he was in the water for a couple minutes. I don’t… I don’t know how to do CPR, and I can’t with my, my mask. I… does anyone know CPR?!” Peter called out panicked.

A woman, uninjured but stopped from the traffic buildup behind the crash, jogged over. “I’m CPR trained.”

“Please. He fell in the Hudson. He… he was under for a couple minutes. But he’s, he’s alive, I can hear, I-I know it.”

She pushed the frantic man aside, and kneeled down, starting compressions.

Peter’s hands trembled, his body staggering back as he leaned against the cold shell of Harley’s Mustang, back sliding down until he was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest. His head throbbed from the tears that didn’t dare to fall. His eyes were glued to Harley, dizzy and lightheaded as he gasped for air listening to his heartbeat that was getting fainter and his ribs that were cracking under the pressure of the compressions.

Paramedics were arriving to the scene, helping the other people who he was too late to save. 

_ He was too late. He was too late. He was too late. _

Peter’s heart finally started to beat again when Harley spit out water (so much water) and hunched over as he coughed roughly.

Peter rushed to his side, holding his head in his hand. “Hey. Hey, you alright. You’re gonna be alright.”

Harley squinted, Peter’s name nearly slipping from his lips.

A mix of a relieved chuckle and sob escaped Peter’s. “Hi, sweetheart. We’re gonna get you all fixed up.”

Harley groaned. “We’re in the middle of an insurance switch.”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Peter asked incredulously.

“The bills are extortionate,” Harley murmured, still dazed.

“I love you so much,” Peter whispered in his ears. “I can’t lose you.”

“You’re not gonna,” Harley said. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“What were you even doing out this late?” Peter questioned. He lowered his voice. “Without your suit.”

“Overnight repairs,” Harley addressed simply. “And I was craving spring rolls from that 24/7 Asian market in Brooklyn. Thought you’d appreciate some late night pork buns.”

Peter laughed watery. “Did you get them?”

Harley shook his head, wincing at the pull to his sore muscles. “I was on my way there.”

“We’ll have to get those soon then.”

“I could really go for them right now…” Harley started.

“ _ You  _ are going to get checked by real doctors and  _ I _ will meet you there.” He gave his hand a soft squeeze. “I’ll bring you your favorite pajama pants.”

“Thanks, love.”

“I love you,” Peter whispered.

“Go help those paramedics. I’m sure they could use someone to rip some car doors off their hinges.”

“Will you…”

“I’ll be fine,” Harley cut in. “We’ll be fine.”

And seeing the way that Harley looked at him, drenched in water, and eyes a little glazed over, but the true adoration glimmering his baby blues, he knew that they would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to chat, my Tumblr is [official-impravidus](https://official-impravidus.tumblr.com/)


End file.
